Now that Arizona Cardinals training camp has begun, even if this stage is just helmets and shorts, the new offensive system is being explained and explained again to everyone on this year’s roster.
A lot of new players can sometimes be a good thing.
RELATED: CARSON BECK SIGNS ROOKIE CONTRACT
Offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett went through a Q&A session after practice on Saturday. Here is what he had to say.
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Q: How do you think you’re doing in terms of just
getting started here in training camp 3 days in?
Hackett: Great. It’s really an extension of OTAs. We don’t have full pads on. That’s when we’re really going to be excited as a group. But just from a mental and operational standpoint, it’s been great for the guys. Just everybody coming back, you always wonder how much is going to stick. And I really feel like they’ve done a nice job.
Q: How’s it been having Jacoby (Brissett) back and just what does he bring at quarterback?
Hackett: Oh, he’s great. He’s a veteran. He’s been in this league for a long time. I’ve known him for a long time, and it’s great to have him in there, and he’s just working through learning everything, and it’s a nice little process.
Q: How different is he from the guy that you saw at the Senior Bowl?
Hackett: He’s a lot older. Not as old as me. I was a lot younger back in those days. But you know he’s got that veteran presence. When you first get the rookies, they don’t know what’s going on. So, I think that just the conversations, the things that he’s gone through, just his understanding of football, and the different systems he’s been in. I think all those things help him with us, and you see that growth and just his wisdom.
Q: What are some more of the things about his skill set that you think will fit well in your in this offense?
Hackett: I think before I go there, it’s one of those things I want him to come into the offense and see what he can do. But just throughout all my experience going against him, he’s a big strong guy that is not afraid to sling it in there. And I think that’s something you’re always excited about. And we’ll see how it goes as we move forward.
Q: When you talk about the rookies not knowing what’s going on, exactly what are you talking about?
Hackett: Is it like they don’t know their directions around the facility, the playbook, how to just keep their schedule from college to the pros, everything. Everything you can imagine. Coming to this league is just the speed is so different. You talk about the speed being in a new building; a lot of the guys nowadays might be in different rooms and different facilities because of all the transfers and stuff. But most of the time they’ve been in one place for a while, and now it’s a whole new environment. New people, new people to work with, and definitely new playbooks that are very, very intricate due to the fact of all the things that we see and all the different just our defense is out there.
You get almost everything and more, which is great because it helps you for the season. But for a young player to have to be able to adjust and learn just the basic system and then apply it to different defenses. It takes some time. So, heads are spinning right now. Especially after two days. But I think it’ll just get better and better. That’s the goal.
Q: How do you think Carson (Beck) is dealing with that in two days?
Hackett: I’ll tell you, Carson works really hard. I don’t think I even knew from that standpoint how he would be, and I think he’s done a great job learning as much as he possibly can. And he’s really grasping it. But it’s still about getting those reps, which is so critical at this position. And even just with pads is going to be huge because the live situations, the practice pads, no pads, it’s so different. Just on the timing of the routes, how people block, just everything is different. So, it’s just going to keep getting better, but he’s a very hard worker, and I appreciate that from him.
Q: How do you assess kind of what he’s shown throughout spring and then these first two practices?
Hackett: You assess every single thing, every step, and every movement. I think my favorite thing about him is if you give him a correction, he doesn’t do the same thing twice. He learns from it, and I appreciate that. And he doesn’t let it affect him. So, I think that that’s what you want, and we grow from there. Love his arm strength, love his footwork, intelligence, all those things. He’s done a fine job, and we just got a long way to go.
Q: Does having an elite tight end change how a coordinator wants to structure an offense?
Hackett: I’ll tell you, he’s fun to be on the same field with. Usually, you have specific things that you do with each position. The more guys that you have that can do more things, the more exciting it is from our standpoint. So, I think to have a guy like Trey (McBride) makes the tight end room really solid. And all those guys.
Elijah (Higgins) is doing really well, and he can do more things. So, it allows you to put them in different spots, create different matchups. There are so many different things, and at the same time, they can still run block. We’ll see that as the pads come on, when we finally get to test that. But anytime you have guys that can do multiple things, it’s fun. Our wide receivers, they can run all kinds of different routes instead of just being very specific. So, it just lets you be more fluid.
Q: You mentioned Carson’s arm strength. That was one of the questions about him coming out of college, right? You’re pretty pleased with his arm strength so far?
Hackett: I am. I am. I don’t know where that came from. I sure enjoy watching him throw the ball down the field. He had a couple really nice ones, and for him tying his feet in and getting the timing of it and then actually calling those things and getting those opportunities. Those are things that we just can’t get enough for him. But up to this point, he’s been able to place the ball all over the field.
Q: When you’re mentioning an offense for the first time, what techniques do you use to to teach it?
Hackett: I think that’s kind of the magic sauce, you know? It’s the process that you go about. Because the reality of it is, obviously, Coach LaFleur, myself, the coaches, we know it really well. We’ve put it together. We’ve built it. But it doesn’t matter necessarily for us. It’s the guys have to own it. They have to go out there, and it has to be second nature to them. For me, it’s always been about processes. It’s how you break it down one step at a time. Just don’t jump to “Z.”
You have to start with everything beforehand and be very, very specific in the things that you want to teach and how you teach them. There might be something you’re very excited to get to, but there are a couple other steps. As long as you can stay organized and understand what you’re trying to accomplish and have a goal each day, I think that’s the best way to do it. A couple of days ago, to do it and especially not trying to get ahead of yourself when you know what’s coming up. These guys have run the pieces before different schemes. Like, is that hard not to get it? Of course.
I think you’re always battling that because, especially as a coach, you see something and you’re like, “Oh, let’s do this or let’s game plan this.” And it’s like, “Hold on, let’s think, our foundation right now is let’s get up there. Let’s operate. Let’s be great in those little things first and then be able to build off that.” Even though you can sit there and say, “Oh, well, we could do this versus this or this versus that.” That’s the chess game that we play. But you can’t play chess if you don’t know the basic rules first. So, I think for us right now it’s let’s get those fundamentals down. Let’s make sure we know exactly what we’re doing. Then we can build off of it.
Q: You were installing this system earlier this offseason. It was mostly with players that you’ve maybe seen on film or coached against and now with rookies. So, at what point in camp, maybe after pads come on or a few preseason games, are you able to tweak and kind of tailor-make this scheme to the players and have a better idea of what they can really do?
Hackett: That’s what you want to do. You want to obviously run the routes the guys are the best at. Whatever the quarterback can throw the best at. Whatever the line can block, all that stuff. The reality is, back in my day when we had more practice, you got to that point earlier. Now, with the limited practice that we have as coaches to train and for the players to learn that
stuff. It takes a little longer. It’s on the players to know mentally. So, then every rep matters. Whether it’s successful or not, there’s something you can learn from it. So, I think that the more reps we get, through preseason, all that stuff, again, that’s the goal. But I don’t think there’s ever a perfect time; it’s how fast can they get it all with your top two wide receivers.
Do you see those guys as competing during training camp for targets and opportunities? Or do you already kind of know how you want to deploy Marvin (Harrison)? Everything’s competition. I love it. I want everybody to compete for everything. I want all those guys that want the ball every single play, and if they don’t get the ball, be mad. In the end, it’s a competitive game and we want that always to be brewing in them.
We always want to throw everybody the ball. We want to hand the ball to everyone. We’ve got a lot of fun players to highlight, and right now it’s, hey, let’s just go, let’s learn the system, learn those fundamentals, see where the defense takes us. We might sit there and say, hey, this is a perfect play for Michael (Wilson) or Trey. But things happen. It’s about everybody else across the board being perfect right now, and we’ll continually get to that and try to get everybody the football.
Q: As someone who knows what it’s like to sit in the head coach’s chair, do you offer advice to Mike or does he come to you with questions on how to do certain things or how you did things? Anything like that?
Hackett: It’s been great. Up to this point, I’m here for Mike. I want him to be the best version of himself. He wants me to be the best version of myself. We both have jobs to do and he’s doing a great job. I mean, it’s early, undefeated. It’s a great time right now. But for us, it’s just about working as much as I can help him, as much as we can help each other. There have been conversations. I want him to talk to everybody. We’ve got a lot of great experience in the coaching staff. The players, everything, let’s learn from everyone. Grow with all of us together. I think that’s what creates a great team.
Q: Do you see this running back room as having a starter as it stands right now?
Hackett: Right now, it’s a great room. I’m really excited about it. Excited for James (Conner) to get out there and show what he’s got. All the guys, right now, we’re just trying to work on that operation. We’re trying to make sure we’re crisp, we’re clean, and we’ve got a great play style.
Q: Where’s Jeremiah at his progression?
Hackett: He’s definitely a rookie, and as we’ve talked about, he’ll keep growing every single day. I’m very excited for him. All those guys, not just him. I’m very excited about this room. There are a lot of guys that have a lot of carries, a lot of experience. Guys that can do multiple things. You don’t have guys that are just kind of specific in one thing that they do. They can catch, they can block, they can run different schemes. So, I think that’s really exciting. I’ve been lucky to be around some good running backs, and it’s about these guys right now. I’m excited to see what they can do.
